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What is a “Daughter of the American Colonists” ?

She is a person who, first of all, shares the devotion to her country and the principles upon which it was founded, that inspired her ancestors. She is a person who believes that the gifts of the past, both spiritual and material, should be preserved, and who has deep concerns for the welfare of the nation’s government and its people. The object of the Society is Patriotic, Historical, and Educational: to research the history and deeds of the American colonists, and to record and publish them; to commemorate deeds of colonial interest; to inculcate and foster love of the United States of America and its institutions by all its residents; and to obey its laws and venerate its flag, the emblem of its power and civic righteousness.

The Society was incorporated under the laws of the District of Columbia on April 25, 1921; and a Federal Charter was granted to the National Society by the Ninety eighth United States Congress as Public Law98-561 on October 30, 1984.

The objectives of DAC are fulfilled in many ways. Patriotism is shown through projects of the Flag of the United States of America Committee; the National Defense Committee; the Patriotic Education Committee, which works through schools and Naturalizations Courts; the Veterans’ Services Committee which, among other activities, encourages volunteer service in veterans hospitals; and the National Awards Committee, which provides annual gifts for achievement at the United States Service Academies across the country. State Societies and Chapters also present ROTC, American history, and citizenship awards through the work of this committee. Historical objectives are supported through the Colonial and Genealogical Records Committee, which preserves original records; the Historic Landmarks and Memorials Committee, which is responsible for locating and marking sites of historical importance; the Yorktown Day Association Committee, which participates in the annual commemoration of the surrender of General Cornwallis to the American and French forces in 1781; and the Cape Henry Commemoration Committee, which has an important part in the observance held every year at the site where English colonists on April 26, 1607, erected a cross before establishing the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, on May 13, 1607, in the name of King James I of England. Education is stressed through the American Indian Scholarship Committee, which solicits funds for use by American Indian students at Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Other scholarships are awarded by the National Society at Iowa Wesleyan College, and by State Societies and Chapters at a number of other schools and colleges. Scholarship funds are given through the College of the Ozarks Committee. The National Defense and Patriotic Education Committees are also active in the Society’s educational endeavors. DAC members give thousands of volunteer hours to all these fine committees each year.

Golden Acorn members are those who join the Society from the age of 18 through the age of 35. They remain Golden Acorns until their 45th birthdays. These members have the privilege of serving as Pages at State and General Assemblies. Benefiting American Indians has always been the special project of the Golden Acorns Committee, and significant contributions have been made to the Bacone College Library in recent years as a result of this endeavor.

A comprehensive National Yearbook is printed each year, and lineage books are published and placed in libraries throughout the country. The Society has an excellent genealogical library with many hundreds of books and manuscripts at National Headquarters, located at 2205 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W, on Embassy Row in Washington, D.C. This handsome building is furnished with authentic period pieces and has the air of a gracious private home. Here are an office, small meeting rooms, and comfortable quarters for the National President and other officers during National Board meetings. This building is ably maintained by the National Headquarters Committee and is opened to members during the General Assembly, held yearly in April and attended by members from across the country. Elections are held every third year.

Each National President has a special project to enhance the objectives of the Society. Recent projects have included funding of videotape documentaries for the Patrick Henry National Memorial; renovation and restoration of the National Headquarters; a statues of William Penn; renovation of the Bacone College dining hall and kitchen; and financial assistance for the education of Indian girls in nursing. Earlier projects provided a gateway and marker at Berkeley Plantation in Virginia, site of the first authorized Thanksgiving Day in America on December 4, 1619; an endowment fund to maintain National Headquarters; scholarships; and a microfilm fund for preservation of members’ lineage papers.

The DAC magazine, “The Colonial Courier”, is the official publication of the Society and is published three times a year. It contains articles relating to the activities of Chapters and State Societies, and of historical and genealogical interest. Copies are purchased by members and given to school, public, and university libraries.

The National Society Children of the American Colonists was founded in 1939 to train young people of both sexes in leadership and patriotism.

New members become part of a local Chapter, a State Society, and the National Society, which is one of the largest of the nation’s hereditary organizations.

Every member’s interest and participation is vital to aid the Society in continuing to move ahead and to grow in strength and achievement, in love of country, in historic preservation of a cherished heritage, and in education of all citizens in what the real America is, and what America stands for.